Mechanization, the substitution of mechanical power for that of men or animals, can be traced back to antiquity. The handling of material provides many examples of the way in which man has sought to lighten his labors by employing mechanical devices, for example in building, in mining, and in raising water. The mechanization of processes, on the other hand, did not become wide spread until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century with the invention of the cotton gin. The term "automation" has been defined as the technology of automatic working in which the handling methods, the processes, and the design of the processed material are integrated to utilize the mechanization of thought and effort in order to achieve an automatic chain of processes. The use of men within this definition is not precluded, but becomes a part of the overall objective of reducing the number of persons whose effort is required to produce the particular result.
In the food processing and handling industry, automation has created a high standard of cleanliness and productivity for the products produced thereby. Industry sectors such as biscuit and cookie manufacturers, have taken great strides in introducing automatic mixers and ovens to handle and process their food products.
However, one sector of the food handling and processing industry which has not been adequately automated is that of filling of fruit and other juices into plastic containers and then sealing the containers. A substantial amount of hand labor has been engaged in by this sector of the food handling industry, leading to a higher risk of contaimination and a relatively low productivity.